By a show of hands, how many of you lovvvvvveeeee your engagement ring, but really don’t care what your partner paid for it? I still don’t know how much my husband shelled out for my engagement ring, and he proposed nearly six years ago. Part of that has to do with my husband’s old school sensibility - he’s always said that my ring was a present (which it was, of course), and if he shared what he spent on it, it’d make it less special, dull its sparkle, so the speak. It’s pretty much one of the only remaining secrets in our 12 years together. The other part has more to do with my own laziness, I still haven’t gotten my engagement ring insured (WORST ENGAGED-THEN-MARRIED WOMAN EVER); if I’d have gotten it appraised, I’d know, but that still remains to be seen…..

But to get back to my earlier question, do you really equate the value of your love to the amount that your S.O. spent on the most important piece of jewelry you own? You shouldn’t, that’s for sure. Love is unconditional, love is immeasurable, and once you start thinking that you won’t say ‘YES’ to anything under $X, then you kind of take away from the whole experience. Your guy or girl is making a huge decision, and picking something out that he/she thinks you’ll cherish forever. So, just concern yourself with how beautiful the ring is, how special the ask was, and how excited you are to officially start your life together.

When you can look at a ring qualitatively versus quantitatively, you’ll be in a much better position. And let’s not forget that we’re the millennial generation. We choose experiences over stuff, right? So, let’s just forget about all the potential materialism. There are stunning options out there for couples who’d rather save for important next steps: the wedding, honeymoon, a house, a family, the future, in general, than spend crazy amounts on the 💍. And so many of them are available on Etsy.

We’ve gone ahead and scouted out the cream of the crop, and guess what, they’re all priced < $1,700. OMG. A number of them come with matching wedding bands, too, so you can kill two birds with one (gem) stone 💎.

If you and your love are getting ready to take that next step, but aren’t overly concerned with spending outrageous amounts on the bling...

Then consider these things:

Gemstones are SUPER trendy right now, and they’re a lot less expensive than traditional diamonds. So, think about starting there.

Lab-created diamonds, like moissanite, are just as brilliant, but don’t crank up the price tag - so, you can still find something that shines bright… like a diamond… but doesn’t break the bank. They’re also socially and environmentally conscious alternatives… so, there’s that.

If you’re still hung up on expenses surrounding your ring, then take some of the money you saved from buying some inexpensive, but still hella chic, and invest in some elaborate wedding bands. That way, at least you’ll be putting money towards a cause that you both can share in (cool AF matching bands are 👌 in our book)